All posts tagged ‘Kryten’

Smeg-heads of the world rejoice – the trailer for the upcoming new series of British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf has just been released! It’s embedded above for your viewing pleasure, but if it doesn’t work for you, you could try heading on over to the Dave website or their Facebook page to have a look.

The 50-odd seconds of footage show a couple of gags and plenty of slapstick visuals, together with a short effects shot of the short crimson one and the new Starbug (or possibly Blue Midget, I’m not really sure). I was lucky enough to attend the filming of one of the new episodes back in December and had a great evening, so my hopes are high for this new series, which should hit screens in the UK in the autumn. In the run up to the launch, Dave will be releasing something new every Friday, so make sure you like the Facebook page so you know when it’s there.

You may have heard a rumor that the remaining crew members of the Jupiter Mining Corporation vessel Red Dwarf will be returning to our screens next year for a new, six-part series — and I can now confirm that it is definitely true, because I was one of the lucky few who got tickets to the filming!

Seeing as it was taking place at the famous Shepperton Studios, I had to go, as they’re only about a mile from my house. But that didn’t guarantee me entry — I had to enter the lottery just like everyone else.

About two months ago, show co-creator Doug Naylor tweeted that there’d be an announcement about ticket availability the following Friday. Friday came around and that announcement turned out to be the lottery announcement itself, telling us to go to another site at 2 p.m. that day. 2 p.m. rolls around and the site dies a horrible death from too many people trying to get tickets. Luckily, I was clever enough to start following the ticket company on Twitter. The company announced that it was “experiencing technical difficulties” and that it would accept applications by phone, e-mail and Twitter. So I sent mine off and crossed my fingers. A couple of days later, after having found out that all the tickets for the filming of all six episodes were snapped up in about 20 minutes, I was very relieved and excited to get an e-mail confirming my tickets for the filming of the first episode.

Recently, I was having an argument with a friend about who is the greatest movie or television robot/android. While there are a ton to choose from, the one that left a lasting impression on us was Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Data. From there we started to compare all of the other robots and androids to Data to see how they would all stack up. Some didn’t compare, some would simply destroy Data in a fight, but what about the human connection? What about Data’s constant striving to become more human? How did that reflect in the other robots and androids? Needless to say, this seemed like a fantastic topic for a Great Geek Debate, so here it is. Data vs. The Rest.

Here’s a look at some (of the many) androids, robots and cyborgs that came before Lt. Commander Data and how Data stacks up to each of them. The main talking points are who would win in a fight (invariable conclusion to such a debate) and the quest for humanity.

Data vs. Gort

Gort stood about 8 feet tall (referring to the original The Day the Earth Stood Still, not the forgettable remake) and arrived on Earth to “preserve the peace.” Part of an interstellar police force, Gort had the power to vaporize anything that posed a threat and according to his buddy Klaatu, “He could destroy the Earth.” That kind of power can’t be ignored on any scale. He’s focused on his mission and is prepared to release destruction on command. Gort cannot be destroyed by modern weapons and only when a particular phrase is uttered does he shut down. (C’mon, you know it.)

Data was often injured in battle, even losing his head on at least one occasion. This created a human vulnerability that endeared him as more than just an android. He wasn’t intentionally destructive; hell, he even kept a pet cat. Data would never stand idly by waiting for a command to destroy a planet. That was Gort’s job. While one could clearly make the argument that Data is the better android, Gort could unleash his laser beam and simply destroy everything. Advantage: Gort